


Something Worth Staying For

by capn_cecil_ang



Category: The Walking Dead (Comics)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone, Canon - Comics, Domestic, Feelings Realization, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, TWD comics issues 142-168
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 11:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11828067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capn_cecil_ang/pseuds/capn_cecil_ang
Summary: Jesus has a huge crush on Aaron, but he's afraid to act on it. Meanwhile the threat from Whisperers is culminating and the three communities decide to do something about it. Will the events of another war bring Jesus and Aaron closer together or will they drive them apart?And who will win the bet?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My take on how Jesus and Aaron actually got together, since we didn't see it happen in the comics.  
> This fanfic follows TWD issues from 142 to 168 - it deals with both stuff that happened in the comics and "off screen" stuff.  
> So if you haven't read the issues yet, be WARNED of SPOILERS - there's lots of death: some minor, some major-ish, and some pretty major characters (not all of them are mentioned, but the most major deaths are, just so you know).

It was late August and the residents of three communities were blessed with few more warm days before cold strikes. It was still early in the morning but Alexandrian fair was already full of cheerful people, looking for distraction from everyday life of survival. Maggie and Jesus were making their way through the crammed fair, aiming for the stall with fresh fruit. Kingdom’s pomegranates were hot topic among people since the talks about fair began, so Maggie set her mind to try some. The pair wasn’t in any hurry. The fair just started and they didn’t have anything else to do while waiting on Rick and others to come back with Carl… hopefully.

“When Rick gets back,” Jesus said, walking next to Maggie, “you’re going to tell him about what we did with Gregory… right?”

“I wasn’t avoiding the issue,” Maggie said, slightly irritated. “I’m in charge of the Hilltop and I can do whatever I want.” She glanced at Jesus and sighed. She had a lot on her plate right now, but her friend didn’t deserve cold shoulder from her.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get a full debrief out after I told him about Carl,” she said. “I’ll tell him when he gets back. But only _after_ we find out what happened with Carl.”

She fell silent for a while, dreading what she wanted to say: “If something happened to that boy… I’m not going to… I don’t even want to think about that.”

“I haven’t known Carl for as long as you have…” Jesus said. “But I think pretty much the only thing that’ll happen to him while he’s out on his own… is getting stronger.”

“Yeah,” Maggie smiled. “Sounds like you’ve known him long enough.” Jesus always knew how to comfort her and she couldn’t be happier to have him at her side right now. “Come on now. Or there won’t be any pomegranates left when we get there.” She wrapped her arm around his, leading the way.

When they reached their destination, man in the stall was just serving another customer. Maggie and Jesus were looking over selection of fresh fruit, pondering what was worth trying. When it was their turn, they decided to go for not only pomegranates, but also some grapes and figs. When the seller recognized leader of Hilltop in Maggie, he wanted to give them the fruit for free, but Maggie insisted on giving him at least a loaf of freshly baked bread from Olivia. She made the change and was about to give some figs to Jesus to try, but she noticed he wasn’t paying attention anymore. She followed his gaze and saw he was looking at someone few stall from them. When she recognized the person he was looking at a known smile creeped on her face.

“You should go to him,” she said, nudging Jesus playfully.

Jesus composed himself and looked at her, clearing his throat, “Uh, what? I don’t know what you're talking about.”

Maggie saw his ears gained a bit of red and she couldn’t suppress a little chuckle. “Oh come on. Everyone knows you have a _huge_ crush on Aaron. Go on. At least one of us should stop worrying and enjoy this day. Plus, I bet my money on you so you should get moving.”

“What do you mean?” Jesus said, frowning slightly. His attention was now fully back on Maggie, anticipating.

“Shit, I wasn’t supposed to say that,” Maggie said, looking guiltily. “It’s nothing really. It’s just that me, Michonne, Carl, and Alex bet on _when_ you two will finally get together.”

“You did what?” Jesus’s ears gained new shade of red and the color came up to his cheeks too. “What did you even bet?”

“Michonne scavenged two boxes of pre-packaged mac and cheese… wait for it… with cheese pizza flavor. The winner gets it.”

“I honestly don’t know what to say,” Jesus said, stunned. “I thought you were my friend.” He cracked a smile, “But then again. I’d do it for cheese pizza too.”

“So you’re going?” she asked, raising her brows. “All joking aside, you’d be great together. And you deserve to be happy, Jesus.”

Jesus took a deep breath and looked at Aaron again. He was talking to Erin at the bake sale stall. Few people were around, buying baked goods from Paula. Before he could say anything, Maggie was putting something in his hand.

“Here, take these,” she said, giving him two pomegranates she just got from man from Kingdom. “Buy him something sweet.” She pushed him gently into Aaron’s direction, smiling fondly. “I heard Erin’s cobbler is amazing,” she shouted behind him as he was slowly making his way towards the bake sale stall.

 

“Hey, Aaron,” Jesus said as he came up to the stall.

“Jesus, hey,” Aaron said, slightly surprised. “I didn’t know you have a sweet tooth.”

“I heard Erin’s cobbler is a real treat,” Jesus said, smiling nervously. “You want to try some? My treat.”

“Oh, uh, thanks but… I’m not actually on the fair,” Aaron said. “I volunteered to go on patrol with Heath. We want to clear the road to Hilltop from any newcomers that might have followed your caravan yesterday. We don’t want them to cluster on our main road.” He looked over at Erin. “I only came because Erin here promised to bake us some supplies for the day. And Heath is actually waiting for me at the stables so, I should be going anyway. Sorry.”

“I see,” Jesus said. “No worries. Be careful out there.”

“Always,” Aaron gave him a small smile. “Enjoy the fair.”

“Thanks,” Jesus said, watching the blond man leaving.

“You’ll want that cobbler, honey?” Erin asked from behind him. “You’ve heard right. It’s marvelous. Not that I want to brag,” she said, cheerfully. “I’ll tell you what. _You_ give me those beautiful pomegranates and _I’ll_ give you a whole plate of it. Oh I can make the sweetest pie with these.”

 

Aaron reached the stables in no time. Heath was waiting next to two brown horses, fastening up saddle bag on one of them. Aaron handed him his portion of day supplies and proceeded to put away his.

“Was it Jesus I saw you with?” Heath asked as he was putting away his lunch to the saddle bag.

“Yeah,” Aaron said and got on his horse. “He invited me for some of Erin’s cobbler.”

“Oh that shit is incredible. You need to try it,” Heath said, getting on his horse too. “So, he invited you, eh? Interesting.”

“He was just nice, as he always is… to everyone.” Aaron glanced at the fair one last time and spurred his horse to trot.

“Yeah, keep telling that to yourself,” Heath said under his breath and spurred his horse to catch up on Aaron.


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost noon when Aaron and Heath stopped at nearby creek to water the horses and eat their lunch. They sat down on flat stones and pulled out their lunch while their horses drank and grazed. Heath couldn’t contain his happiness when he saw Erin made them spinach quiche. Aaron laughed heartily at his friend’s expression of pure joy when he dug into his meal.

“What?” Heath said, also laughing, “I’m really easy to please.”

“I can see that,” Aaron smiled, nibbling at his food.

They were eating in silence for a while, horses munching on grass and the stream the only sound around. But Heath was desperate to break the silence and so he finally said.

“Ok, I need to ask. It’s bugging me whole day. Why did you volunteer to do this, man?”

Aaron looked up from his half eaten food a bit surprised.

“Look, I get myself,” Heath continued. “I wouldn’t go into a crowd like that with my leg even if they paid me. I am much more useful on the horse back. But you, I never took you for such a spoilsport.” He fell silent for a while, his expression changing from cheerful to concerned. “Look, I’m just worried. You don’t seem so hot today.”

Aaron didn’t look up from his plate but he managed a faint smile. “You know how they say the first holiday after you lose someone is the most difficult?” he asked. “Like your first Christmas without them, or such?”

“Yeah,” Heath nodded.

“Well, this is the first proper big festivity since Eric died. I really didn’t feel like being among people today.”

“Shit,” Heath said. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok.” Aaron looked up at his friend, smiling properly. “Maybe I’ll be able to attend next one. But today it was a bit too much.”

 

It was early afternoon and Jesus was at Earl’s blacksmith’s stall, looking at knives. Earl, always ready to do business, was trying to persuade him knives are more practical than sword. Jesus seemed to be really contemplating his options, when he heard his name being called. He looked around and saw Maggie approaching him, smile on her face.

“Hey, Maggie,” Jesus said, smiling back at her and turned briefly back to Earl. “I’ll be thinking about that, Earl. Thanks for the offer.”

“Always pleasure to make business with you, Paul,” Earl smiled under his beard and turned to next customer.

“Hey, where have you been?” Maggie asked when she reached Jesus. “There’s stall with kettle corn at the other side of the fair. Did you try it? It’s insane!”

“No, I… I haven’t got there yet.”

“Oh then we need to go there, come on.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him through the fair. “So what have you been doing whole morning? You and Aaron must have had lot of fun since I didn’t see any of you this whole time.”

“Oh, yeah, about that,” Jesus said nervously, scratching his beard. “You know, I wasn’t with Aaron at all. He left with Heath to patrol the road to Hilltop. I couldn’t find you so I was just hanging around the fair, talking to people and stuff.”

“Seriously?” Maggie said in disbelieve and stopped, “No way! Shit, well that was some really bad timing, wasn’t it? But still, I wouldn’t think Aaron would want to miss something like this.”

“You wanted to show me that kettle corn stall, remember?” Jesus said, desperate to change the subject.

“Oh yeah, right, come on.” Maggie wrapped her arm around his and led him further into crowd.

As they were passing the stables they overheard two Alexandrians talking about lack of feed for horses.

“That’s just poor planning. They knew everyone would be bringing horses here.” Maggie couldn’t hold back slipping into her leader mode immediately. “Send Oscar back to Hilltop with a cart to get some of our feed.” she told Jesus.

“I haven’t seen him,” he said, suddenly realizing Oscar wasn’t the only person he didn’t see whole day. The fair was rather big but not that big you wouldn’t meet everyone at least once. “When I think about it, I haven’t seen Ezekiel since morning too. And that guy is pretty hard to miss.” Jesus furrowed his brows, bad feeling overwhelming him.

“Maggie, Jesus, wait!” Harlan shouted as he was making his way to them, looking alarmed. Few people started to look around, concerned about disturbance.

“Calm down, doc,” Jesus said when Harlan reached them. “What’s happening?”

“I--” Harlan tried to catch his breath, “I can’t find my brother.”

“When did you last saw him?” Maggie asked.

“About three hours ago. We were drinking beer at Louie’s stall. He said he’s going to take a leak and he didn’t come back since. I looked for him but… I can’t find him anywhere.”

“Ok, let’s not spread panic yet,” Maggie said as comfortingly as she could. “Is there anyone else who’s missing?”

“I haven’t seen Rosita since the morning and when I think about it, Eugene vanished few hours ago too.”

“Ok,” Maggie said, furrowing her brows deeply. “Let’s just keep calm. We should check their house first; see if they’re not there.”

“I also saw Marco alone before,” Harlan said, keeping pace with Maggie and Jesus who aimed inside Alexandria. “He was with Ken whole day so I thought it was strange to see him alone.”

Maggie gave Jesus an uneasy look but didn’t say anything. They reached Eugene’s and Rosita’s house rather quickly, being it one of the first houses behind the wall. They knocked urgently on the door, waiting impatiently.

When the door opened, Maggie released a relieved sigh: “Oh thank God. I thought you and Rosita where missing, too.”

“Missing?” Eugene said, appalled. “Rosita isn’t here. I… I haven’t seen her in a while. I thought she was at the fair.”

“Oh God,” Maggie broke out in a cold sweat.

Eugene must have seen the horror in her eyes because he immediately ran out of the door shouting Rosita’s name.

“What the hell is going on here?” Maggie said, shaking her head.

Jesus noticed Carson’s uneasy look and grabbed his shoulder comfortingly. “We’re going to find your brother, Carson. I promise,” he said.

“We should get back to fair, see who else is missing,” Maggie said and turned to go back. As they were walking towards the fair they heard shouts and horses approaching. They looked at each other briefly and quickened their pace. They hoped it was people coming back but they knew the chance was small.

 

Rick was standing at the balcony of newly built inn, Andrea by his side. Michonne was standing with her back to people downstairs, her arms crossed at her chest. She wasn’t able to look them in the eyes right now. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting in silence for what Rick was going to say. Jesus was holding Maggie comfortingly, both standing in the middle of the crowd.

“This is not how things were supposed to go,” Rick said, his voice resonating throughout the fair. “Today we should be celebrating the first day of a successful fair. It’s remarkable what we have accomplished here. That we are all together… that we are thriving…” he fell silent for a moment, “…but as you know, twelve of our people went missing. I’m afraid I have terrible news…”

Jesus found himself holding Maggie’s hand in his, hoping Aaron and Heath weren’t among the lost people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there is someone reading this who didn't read the comics first and doesn't mind spoilers, here is what happened to all the missing people...... Alpha, leader of the Whisperers - with possible help of other Whisperers - killed them and put their heads on spikes to mark the border between Whisperers' territory and territory of our communities. Yep, she is pretty crazy lady.


	3. Chapter 3

_TWO WEEKS LATER_

 

It was another day of shooting practice with Dwight, another day of coming back to Alexandria and seeing everyone else’s families eagerly waiting for their loved ones, greeting them lovingly. Aaron would never admit it out loud, but he hated this part of the training. It was an everyday reminder he didn’t have anyone to come back to anymore. He still considered Alexandria his home, but no matter how much they improved it, he still felt like something was missing since Eric’s death.

He went through his routine of cleaning the guns they used that day and put them back to armory. Other people went home long time ago to be with their families and friends. But Aaron chose not to go home right away. He didn’t feel like himself today. In fact, he didn’t feel like himself since the fair. Eric’s birthday was coming up in few weeks and he always felt weighed down around this time of year. He missed their little celebrations. Aaron always used to bake something small for Eric and they ate it at the porch, stargazing. Then he gave him whatever gift he found scavenging that year. It was usually small stuff like a new scarf, a book, or some trinket. Eric always said he didn’t need to give him anything; that they’re both being safe was enough of a gift for him. But he was always genuinely happy about the gifts. And Aaron loved to watch the sparkle of anticipation in Eric’s eyes every time he was unwrapping his presents.

Aaron was so immersed in his thoughts, he didn’t even notice when he got to church. He made his way around many graves, until he finally reached the one he was looking for. Their communal graveyard got depressingly bigger in last two weeks, reminding everyone of their own finality. He stood over Eric’s grave, silently remembering happier times. Not long after, another figure showed up at the graveyard. Father Gabriel came up to Aaron and stood next to him.

“You’re here often lately,” he said, his voice filled with concern. “Is everything ok?”

“It is,” Aaron said, not taking his eyes from the grave. “It’s just… I’m afraid we’re going to another war, father. And I’m not sure what I’m fighting for anymore.” He fell silent for a while. “When Eric was alive I knew…” he said, “I fought for us, to keep us safe, keep us alive… Now, I don’t know.”

“I really don’t want to be a soldier,” Gabriel said, solemnly. “I hate guns and I hate killing… even the dead ones. But I picked up the gun anyway. Because when we don’t try our best, we can give up right away. And we can throw away everything we achieved so far.”

He put a hand on Aaron’s shoulder, comfortingly. “ _This_ is what we’re fighting for, Aaron,” he said. “For this place, for the future we have here.” He looked down at the grave of Aaron’s lost loved one. “And for the memories which make this place our home.”

Aaron wiped away tears that rolled down his cheeks and looked at Gabriel. “Thank you, father,” he said, “and thank you for the flowers.” He motioned towards the bouquet of green hydrangea on Eric’s grave. In fact, there was one on every single grave.

“I... I haven’t done those,” Gabriel said, apologetically. “I didn’t have much time to take care of the graves since I started training. Honestly, I’m not sure who’s giving them there. There’re quite many people coming here lately.”

Aaron raised his brows, surprised. He couldn’t think of anyone else doing it, him being the only person visiting Eric’s grave.  

“The dinner will be served soon,” Gabriel said.

“Yeah, I’ll uh, I’ll catch up.”

Gabriel nodded, “See you then.”

 

Next day there weren’t so many roamers as usual so they cut the training short. When they got back to Alexandria, their little community was bustling with people. Hilltopers were making the last preparations for their trip back, loading the carriages and saying goodbye to their friends.

Aaron aimed to armory, trying to avoid talking to people. As he was cleaning the used guns, he noticed it took him longer than usual. He wasn’t able to concentrate properly today. Even back at the training field he felt distracted and absent-minded. He longed for a proper action, not just gun training in the field. He needed to get out there from time to time. But he knew there was no reason to do so right now. They had plenty of supplies and the area surrounding Alexandria was cleared from roamers.

When he finished taking care of guns, he walked out of the armory, noticing Hilltop’s caravan already left. He aimed it to the church, enjoying the silence that spread through Alexandria again. The thoughts of war were still weighing on his mind. Things were pretty quiet right now but he knew it could change any minute. And if it happens, he didn’t know when he’d have a chance to visit Eric again.

He reached the graveyard and was about to make his way towards Eric’s grave, when he noticed someone kneeling at one of the new graves. He stopped in his tracks, unsure. He didn’t want to disturb the person mourning over the grave. He contemplated going home and coming back later, when suddenly the person stood up and noticed him. To his surprise, Aaron recognized Jesus making his way towards him.

“Hi,” Aaron said when Jesus came up to him.

“Hey, uhm, I’m sorry,” Jesus said. “I know you come here almost every day. I just wanted to see Ezekiel before you come so you’ll have your space... he was a good friend of mine.”

“Yeah we… we finished practice sooner today. But it’s okay, I mean, the graveyard is public. You can stay if you want.”

“I should be going anyway. I’m on patrol duty today.”

“Oh,” Aaron said, suddenly feeling nervous. “You didn’t go with others back to Hilltop?” he asked.

“No. I figured I’ll be more useful here if we’re going to fight.”

“Yeah, I guess you will.”

Aaron looked down, trying to find anything else to say, and that’s when he noticed Jesus was holding old flowers in his hands. When he glanced to the nearest grave, he saw the fresh ones laying there.

“The flowers,” Aaron said. “That was you?”

“Oh,” Jesus looked down at the flowers in his hands. “Yeah, I… I only wanted to put them on Ezekiel’s and Oscar’s graves but then the other ones looked rather empty,” he said, smiling sadly. “So I thought why not to put some on everyone’s grave. I read somewhere the green color represents release so I thought…” he looked over at Aaron. “I’m sorry if it was too much… if you don’t wish, I won’t be putting them on Eric’s grave anymore.”

“No that’s… that’s fine,” Aaron smiled faintly. “They’re nice. Thanks.”

“No worries,” Jesus smiled back. “I’ll be going then. See you around.”

“Yeah, see you,” Aaron said, watching as brunet was leaving the graveyard.

 

Later that day, when Aaron was going home, he found Michonne standing in front of his house.

“What’s going on?” he said, his brows furrowed.

“Not here,” Michonne said, grabbing his arm. “Rick’s waiting for us in meeting room.”

They walked together to the meeting room – a big wooden building consisting of one enormous room with low podium and few tables and chairs. Rick was sitting behind one of the tables, thinking intensely. When he noticed Aaron and Michonne coming, he immediately got up.

“We have a big problem, Aaron,” he said. “Negan escaped earlier today. He must have took off with Maggie’s group. I need you two to track him and bring him back – _unharmed_.”

“Okay, I’ll pack up right now and we’ll go,” Aaron nodded. “We can track Maggie’s group. I’m sure they took the main road back to the Hilltop. If we’re lucky, he’s still with them.”

“No,” Michonne shook her head. “He would have split with them as soon as possible. Remember that wooded area we tried to bypass when we planned the route to the Hilltop? That’d be the best place for them to break away.”

“And where would he go from there?” Rick said.

“If he’s smart? He’d just ride off into the sunset, never to be seen again,” Aaron said, frowning. “If getting caught in this area means going back in that cell… why not travel somewhere else?”

“I don’t know Aaron,” Rick shook his head, looking from Michonne to Aaron and back. “I don’t know that Negan is the kind of guy to turn tail and run. I think he’s probably going to want to hurt me… us… everything we’ve built.”

“How much does he know about our situation with the Whisperers?” Michonne said, uneasy.

“Too much,” Rick bowed his head.

Michonne frowned deeply: “Then we _know_ where he’s going.”

Rick looked at her, his gaze hard. “He’s going to tell them we’re preparing an attack. You need to catch up to him and stop him. I don’t need to tell you how _serious_ this is.”

“We’ll get him, don’t worry,” Michonne said.

“Keep this quiet. I think we can trust Annie, Paula and Siddiq. I don’t want this to cause a panic.”

“I promise not to shout our mission details on my way out,” Aaron smiled. “Mum’s the word.”

Risk sighed, “Aaron, Michonne… you be careful out there.”

Aaron nodded and turned to leave. Michonne gave Rick a cheeky half smile and said: “Who you talking to?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are not familiar with these issues but are still reading this fanfic, this is a quick recap of what happened on Aaron's and Michonne's mission:  
> While tracking Negan, Aaron and Michonne crossed the border the Whisperers made to mark their territory. Being the assbutts they are, they told our survivors that if they ever cross the border, they will kill them. But what else should Aaron and Michonne do, right? Well, while tracking, Michonne started to talk about Jesus, basically doing a matchmaker for him and Aaron (she's shipping those two so hard!) :D But Aaron said he still isn't over Eric completely and that he doesn't look at Jesus (or anyone else for that matter) like he did at Eric. Plus, he thinks Jesus is toying with Alex's emotions and he doesn't like that - poor Aaron doesn't know Jesus and Alex are just friends for some time now. Shortly after that, Whisperers cross their path and attack them, stabbing Aaron quite seriously. In the nick of time Dwight and other survivors come and save Michonne and Aaron from certain death. Aaron is in bad shape and since the only doctor is at Hilltop, Michonne must get Aaron there as quickly as possible. When she arrives at Hilltop, Aaron is not breathing......

_ONE UNSUCCESSFUL MISSION AND ONE SERIOUS OPERATION LATER_

            It was shortly after seven in the morning when Alex walked into infirmary at Hilltop. He checked medication they had, as he did every morning, and went over reports of Doctor Carson from previous day. He liked to do that even though he had hard time deciphering doctor’s handwriting. He was doing assistant for Doctor Carson for about a year now, but he still felt quite new in many situations. Especially when it came to serious injuries like the one Michonne brought Aaron with five days ago. He tried to help with operation as much as he could but he still felt nervous and his hands were shaking the whole time. When he was done with reports, he decided to go check on Aaron. He knew doctor Carson won’t come to infirmary for another hour. He liked to make morning check-ups on his ongoing patients before he came in. Alex made some decent breakfast plate and put it on the tray with glass of water and Aaron’s pills. He walked into Aaron’s room as quiet as possible since he wasn’t sure if Aaron wasn’t sleeping. Unsurprisingly for Alex, he wasn’t.

“Morning,” Alex said with a smile, but his look was disapproving. “What are you doing up again? I told you that you need to rest more, Aaron.”

“I uhm, I’m sorry,” Aaron said, smiling apologetically. “I just can’t sleep much. I keep thinking about Michonne and others.”

“I’m sure they’re all fine,” Alex said and put the tray next to Aaron on the night stand. “Michonne was here with you all the time you were recovering from operation. She left shortly before you came to. I’m sure she made it to Alexandria long time ago and they’re already making plans with Rick and Dwight.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. They’ll go to war. And I’ll be here, stuck on this stupid bed.”

“Look. The sooner you get better, the sooner you can help them, right?”

Aaron nodded.

“And to get better you need to rest… and eat something.” Alex pointed at the tray.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just, not used to not doing anything.” Aaron managed a small smile and took a plate with freshly cut fruit. He started to nibble on a piece of apple.

“They have many capable fighters,” Alex said. “And besides, we’ve been through worse.”

“You really think so? I mean yeah, war against Negan was pretty bad. But this… I don’t know. Those Whisperers creep me out, if I’m honest.”

“You’re not the only one. But we have something worth fighting for, don’t we? We have home here.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“And those we care about, right?” Alex gave him a cheeky smile.

“What are you implying?” Aaron said, frowning.

“Oh come on, I saw you and Jesus back at the fair in Alexandria.”

“I…” Aaron stayed taken aback, “we don’t… I thought you and Jesus were…”

“Oh we’re friends,” Alex waved him off.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean… we used to have something during the whole thing with Negan… and sometime after that. But you know him. As great as he is, he really isn’t one to stay at one place for a long time. And then… well, I met Wes. And he was here… he didn’t leave for supply runs or route planning every five minutes,” Alex sighed. “It was nice when it lasted but, I needed someone more stable. We’re only friends now. So you know, if you want, he’s available.” he gave the other man a little half smile.

“Oh no, I… that’s not why I asked,” Aaron said, gaining a bit of a red color to his cheeks. “I’m not looking for relationship right now.”

“That’s a shame. Because you two would be absolutely amazing together. I mean, you both are one of the bravest people out here and you’re both so badass. I would think about it if I were you.” he winked at Aaron. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” he pointed to Aaron’s breakfast. “And promise me you’ll try to sleep later.”

“I promise,” Aaron said, not able to suppress a light smile.

 

Soon after Aaron finished his breakfast he indeed dozed off. When he woke up again, it was almost noon. Alex came in again with lunch and then yet one more time in the evening with dinner and pills. They talked both times, mostly about what was happening outside. Aaron asked if he could bring him a book to pass the time but Alex said he couldn’t find anything else but medical books. Aaron accused Alex of trying to deceive him into falling asleep but he took the book anyway. It was better than to stare at empty wall. He didn’t get through much though, before his eyes started to close. He put the book away and went to sleep, hoping the next day will bring something more interesting.

            Aaron woke up some time before seven next morning, his body hurting all over. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and suddenly noticed someone was standing next to door.

“How long have you been here?” he said when he recognized tall man leaning against the wall, his arms crossed.

“I just got in last night,” Jesus said, moving closer to Aaron’s bed. “Rick’s got me gathering troops for what’s coming. Michonne’s rounding people up. I wanted to see how you were doing.”

Aaron sat up in his bed, trying not to show how painful that was for him. “Never knew you cared, Jesus,” he said jokingly. “But I’m fine. Getting stronger every day. I’ll be back in action before this is all over.”

Before Jesus could say anything else the door opened and Alex was walking in with the tray with water and pills.

“Oh my God,” he said the moment he saw Jesus standing next to Aaron’s bed. “I can’t believe it took this long for you two to happen. Finally.”

“Alex, this isn’t--” Jesus started, dumbfounded.

“Maybe not yet,” Alex said adamantly, putting the tray on the night stand next to Aaron. “But just look at you two. And I’ve been telling Aaron how alike you are. You both have _giant_ brass balls. You’d hear those things clanging against each other for miles around.” He gave them both a big smile.

“Alex, you are the absolute _worst_.” Aaron returned his smile.

“I want you to both look me in the eyes and tell me you’re not considering it,” Alex said, pushing forward.

“Uh…” Jesus’s ears started to gain a bit of color, “you get well soon,” he said to Aaron and turned to leave.

“I rest my case,” said Alex with huge grin on his face.

 

Later that day Jesus and Michonne found themselves with about 20 other Hilltopers, riding their horses to the fixed meeting point. They knew what they’re about to do was no easy task, but they have been planning for almost a week and they trusted Dwight’s strategical skills.

As they were making their way up the hill, they could already hear the sounds of battle. Guns firing, people screaming commands, or screaming in pain. And they knew in a few moments they’ll be the ones doing the same. Jesus couldn’t stop thinking about what Alex said few hours ago. He couldn’t deny the crush he had on Aaron, but he never thought Aaron would reciprocate his feelings. If he only knew for sure, he thought.

“You know Aaron pretty well?” he asked Michonne, carefully.

“Oh my God!” Michonne said, smiling at him genuinely, “You’re going to make so many people happy.”

“Well...” Jesus said, appalled, as they just reached the top of the hill and saw huge battle in front of them, “Let’s see if I survive this first.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another, and the last, recap of issues 160-168:  
> Aaron is recovering at Hilltop and our survivors are officially at war with Whisperers. Whisperers do surprise attack on Hilltop, burning it completely down. Aaron, being the brave cookie he is, jumps back into burning Barington House, because Carl is stuck there, unconscious. He saves him and continues to fight off zombies and Whisperers. Meanwhile Whisperers do another attack, now on Alexandria, basically sending thousands and thousands of zombies their way. Of course people inside the wall can't do anything else but hide in the houses. But fortunately there are some people outside the walls too (luckily, it's basically the best riders... well, and Eugene) and they start to revert the herd, which of course takes loooong time! While people are hiding in Alexandria and other survivors are reverting the herd, Hilltopers make their way to Alexandria, seeking asylum. They are appalled when they arrive and see the state Alexandria is in. Some of them go and help the others to revert the herd. In the process of reverting, Andrea is bitten in the neck... Since that apparently isn't enough, Saviors (yes, those dipshits Saviors) decide they don't want to cooperate with Alexandria and others anymore and come to seize their chance while Alexandria is weakened. Luckily, Negan is back (he came back by himself, with Alpha's head, to show Rick he can trust him - Rick being Rick still doesn't trust him, of course). So Negan will get Saviors back in line again and Sherry (the new leader of Saviors since Dwight left) goes to negotiate with Rick. She seems to be quite unhinged though and attacks Rick - he kills her by accident and that's when people who were reverting the herd comes back. Andrea is on her deathbed, others saying goodbye to her. There is a big funeral, everyone is sad and people start to rebuild Alexandria again.

_FEW HORRIBLE EVENTS LATER_

 

Jesus rolled over in bed for umpteenth time that evening. He sighed heavily and looked at clock on nightstand. It was almost midnight. Last few days have been both emotionally and physically exhausting for everyone, so he thought he’d have an early night. But he wasn’t able to fall asleep with his mind racing the way it did. He was tossing and turning in his bed for over an hour already and the realization that he’s not going to fall asleep any time soon just dawned on him. He sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes. He started to feel a headache creeping on him. He bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting his long thick hair fall loosely from his shoulders. Staying in bed was meaningless at this point. He sighed deeply and stood up, deciding to go for a walk. He put on his combat pants and boots and over his black t-shirt he put his favorite brown hoodie. He walked out of his room quietly, careful not to wake up other resident of the inn. He got down the stairs and started to walk without any particular destination in mind. Air was chilling and Jesus soon started to regret his clothing choices. He briefly considered going back, but then deciding otherwise, zipped up his hoodie and shoved his hands into pockets to conserve warmth. He didn’t really pay attention where he was going, letting himself be led by moonlight. He roamed the streets of Alexandria for a while, when suddenly he heard someone calling his name.

“Evening, Jesus,” a voice said from not afar and when Jesus turned in its direction he saw Aaron siting on steps of his house, an oil lamp at the end of the bannister partially illuminating his face.

“Hey,” Jesus said and stopped. “What you doing here?”

“Just stargazing,” Aaron said, motioning towards sky.

Jesus looked up and it was at this moment he noticed how beautiful the sky was tonight. It was clear, moon was almost full, and it was sown with stars. “Wow!”

“Yeah.” Aaron smiled slightly. “Sky really cleared up in last few years. I guess the end of the world was good for something in the end.” He looked at Jesus, thinking momentarily, then he scooted over. “Care to join me?”

Jesus hesitated only for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

He walked towards Aaron and sat next to him.

“So, what were _you_ doing out so late?” Aaron asked, looking up at the sky.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Jesus said. “I can’t seem to turn off my brain. Too much has happened in last few days.”

“Yeah,” Aaron nodded and looked over at Jesus. He must have noticed how badly Jesus was shivering, because the next thing he said was: “You know what? Let’s go inside. It’s too cold out here.”

He stood up slowly and grabbed the lamp with him as he walked inside, leaving door open for other man. Jesus hesitated for a moment, but then the wind came up. He stood up and cursing his clothing decision again he walked inside. He followed noise and found Aaron in living room, making fire in fireplace.

“Shouldn’t you be resting, anyway?” Jesus said, leaning against door frame.

Aaron managed to start fire and put one of smaller logs in the fireplace. “You sound like Alex, you know that?” He said and gave Jesus a half smile as he stood up, bracing himself against nearby couch. “Would you like a tea?” he asked.

“Sure. Can I help with anything?”

Aaron nodded. “Sure, come on,” he said and grabbed the oil lamp from mantel above the fireplace. He then aimed it towards Jesus in the doorway and into kitchen. They moved silently, but strangely harmonized. Aaron pulled a kettle out of cupboard and handed it to Jesus. While Jesus was filling the kettle with water, Aaron pulled out two mugs and chamomile teabags Olivia used to make. He put them in mugs and grabbed them with one hand, lamp with the other. Jesus took the kettle and a thick dishcloth and they made it back to the living room.

 

Aaron put mugs on coffee table and Jesus put hook on bar over the fireplace, setting the kettle on it. Aaron sat down on the couch, further from the fireplace. He knew Jesus was frozen through so he wanted to let him have more warmth. As he was watching Jesus kneeling at the fireplace, trying to adjust the kettle in the best position, he said:  

“You know, I’d honestly love to rest more. But I can’t fall asleep too. I hate feeling so useless,” he said. “I’m sorry,” he added quickly. “I didn’t invite you in to listen to my whining.”

“It’s fine,” Jesus said and smiled reassuringly, as he stood up and made his way towards the couch. “But you’re not useless, Aaron.”

“I’m not?” Aaron raised his eyebrows, “I need help making a goddamn tea otherwise it’d be ready in half an hour.”

“Sorry,” Jesus said. “I… can’t imagine how hard it must be for you.”

“Yeah well, Doc Carson forbade me to do any physical work so I don’t know what to do with myself. All I’m doing whole day is roaming around the house and reading books,” he sighed and chuckled slightly, “I even started to bake again. And I haven’t baked since--” he fell silent suddenly, averting his eyes from the taller man. The awkward silence filled the room for a moment, none of them knew what to say.

“I’ve… I’ve got an idea,” Aaron said suddenly, trying to stand up, but he did it too quickly and he slid back down on the couch, his face twisted in pain.

“Shit, you’re okay?” Jesus reached towards other man.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just--,” Aaron waved him off, clutching his stomach.

“Just sit, ok?” Jesus said, “Tell me what you want and I do it.”

Aaron sighed in defeat and said: “Alright. Can you go to the larder? There is this oval baking tray covered with plaid cloth. I need to get rid of it and I think you might like it. Also, if you could bring two plates and forks, that would be great.”

“On it,” Jesus smiled and stood up.

While he was gone Aaron tried to compose himself, breathing deeply and trying to think about anything but pain. He leaned in against the couch and closed his eyes momentarily. Sound of the fireplace was calming him down and soon he started to relax. He hated being bedridden again. He was doing fine already, but then Whisperers set Hilltop on fire and the fight broke out. As he predicted, he busted his stiches when he was saving Carl from burning Barrington House. Doctor Carson stitched him up as well as he could with whatever he had on hands after Hilltop burned down. And the bumpy ride to Alexandria didn’t help him to recover soon either. He started to feel better now, the pain slowly going away, when the kettle started to whistle unmercifully. He opened his eyes and was about to stood up and took it off the hook when Jesus walked in.

“Sit, I’ll do it,” he said and put the plates and baking tray on the coffee table. He took the thick dishcloth he brought earlier and took the kettle of the hook with it. He then proceeded to pour the tea into mugs and put one closer to Aaron. He sat next to blond man and noticed how pale he was. “Are you sure you’re fine?” Jesus said, anxiously.

Aaron looked up to meet other man’s gaze and when he saw the concern in Jesus’s eyes, his heart clenched. He managed to smile faintly and nodded.

“Yeah, sometimes I just forget about it and stand too quickly.”

Jesus frowned slightly, but nodded. Aaron cleared his throat and sat straight. He leaned forward over the coffee table and took the tray in his hands. When he pulled the cloth over, Jesus’s breath hitched.

“No way,” he said in disbelief. “Is that Erin’s cobbler?”

Aaron smiled. “Yeah… I, I thought you might like it.”

Jesus’s eyes widened as he looked from cobbler to Aaron. “Where did you get this? Did you asked Emma to make it?”

“No,” Aaron said and put the cobbler on plates. “I asked her for recipe though. I don’t think it will be as delicious as hers, but I tried my best. Since I couldn’t pull my weight on rebuilding and digging graves I thought I might at least do something nice for Rick and Carl. I remembered everyone loved Erin’s cobbler so I tried my best to make it as delicious as hers. This one is my first try though. I may have been reading the book while baking it and left it there a bit longer than I was supposed to,” he said guiltily and handed a plate to Jesus. “I hope you don’t mind it’s slightly crispier than it should be. The second one turned out much better. Carl said they really liked it. Although he might have been just polite, I don’t know.”

“I’m sure he meant it,” Jesus said, smiling genuinely at other man. “And I really appreciate you thought of me with this one.”

“Yeah, don’t mention it,” Aaron said, gaining a bit of red as he sat opposite taller man.

They’ve been eating the cobbler for a while, not really saying anything. But the atmosphere in the room was much more relaxed than before.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must be for Rick and Carl… losing Andrea,” Jesus said after a while, between bites.

“You… didn’t lose anyone close yet?” Aaron asked, surprised.

“Not as close as Andrea was to Rick and Carl… or Eric to you.” Jesus said carefully. “I guess the apocalypse was too kind to me… I have lost my dad though,” he said. “But that was a long time before the world went to shit. He died of cancer when I was twelve. I didn’t take it well. We were very close and after his death… well, I wasn’t able to get close to anyone. I spent six years in group home after he died. But I was almost never there. He left me his martial arts school, you know,” he smiled slightly. “But of course I couldn’t own it until my 18th birthday… so they shut it down for six years. But I still used to hang out there. It made me somehow close to him.”

“So that’s where you learned martial arts?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah,” Jesus smiled proudly. “Dad was teaching me since I was little. And when I grew up and I could own the school, I reopened it and continued his legacy. It was the only thing I had from him.”

Aaron gave him a small smile. “I’m glad you told me,” he said.

“Yeah, me too,” Jesus smiled at other man.

They both finished eating cobbler and took the mugs. Jesus cherished the hot mug in his hands like it was the most precious thing in the world. Aaron couldn’t help but smile when he looked at him. He was genuinely glad Jesus confided in him. He liked the other man and he wanted to know him better.  

“The reason I was out today, stargazing,” Aaron said, “was because it was Eric’s birthday.” He felt like he needed to share too and this felt like the right moment. “We used to do it every year on our birthdays. Even when we were out behind the wall, recruiting. We always found time.” He smiled sadly and looked into the fire, which was almost out. “We’re all living on borrowed time here. That’s why it’s much harder to open up to someone I guess. But love can be both weakness and strength in this world,” he said, looking deep into Jesus’s eyes. “Just having that someone you’re fighting for. You fight more fiercely when you’re not fighting only for yourself. But it’s also much harder to lose someone, to realize that finality. Especially when you’ve made it here with them since the beginning. And when it’s someone as badass as Andrea,” he smiled sadly. “You’d say she’ll be the last one standing. What chance do we have then?”

“Where’s hope, there’s always a chance,” Jesus said, smiling at other man slightly. Aaron nodded and returned him a small smile.

 

They talked for a little longer while they were drinking their tea. Jesus felt good in Aaron’s presence and he didn’t want to go back to chilly night or to empty room in Alexandrian inn, but the tea was eventually drunk and the cobbler was eaten and he didn’t want to overstay his welcome.

“Well, thank you for refreshment,” Jesus said as he put his empty mug on the coffee table. “But I, I should be going.”

“Actually,” Aaron said, focusing his eyes on empty plate on the coffee table. “Could you stay?” he said, clearing his throat a bit. “I... it’s hard enough for me to sleep in this house alone on normal days. And with everything happening in the last week or so... I would really appreciate knowing I’m not alone,” he said, finally meeting Jesus’s eyes.

“Oh,” Jesus said, taken aback. “Well, sure. I can crash here on the couch if that’ll make you feel better.” 

“Thank you,” Aaron said. “I uhm, I’ll go get some blanket and pillow for you.”

“I know you’re not going to like it, Aaron,” Jesus said, “but you should let _me_ do it. You shouldn’t be climbing stairs more than it’s necessary for you.”

Aaron sighed heavily and nodded. “Fine,” he said. “And for the record, I like Alex better as my nurse,” he laughed. “Spare bedding is in closet in bedroom. Can I at least wash the dishes, nurse Monroe?”

“Yes, I think you can,” Jesus laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus's backstory is of course just my imagination. I have fused things we know about him from comics (which is really not much) and his TV show backstory and I made my own personal headcanon about his past. His mom probably died at childbirth or when he was really young, if you are wondering where was she in my headcanon. I'd love for Kirkman to do his backstory though, partly so I'd know if I got it at least a bit right or if it was totally off lol. Let's hope he'll do it - he teased it twice now in letter hacks if I remember correctly, so... where's hope, there's always a chance, right? lol


	6. Chapter 6

It was shortly after 4 am when Aaron woke up abruptly, scream from downstairs reaching to his ears. He got up as fast as he could without hurting himself and reached for flashlight and gun he always kept on nightstand next to his bed. He walked out of bedroom, the flashlight illuminating his way faintly. Downstairs was eerily silent now, making Aaron’s stomach tense in apprehension. Aaron made it barefoot to stairs, trying not to make a sound. Nothing looked suspicious, but he knew he couldn’t let his guard down yet. He made it down the stairs carefully, his gun aimed forward, prepared for anything. His eyes slowly got used to dark and when he reached the last step, he saw a tall figure sitting on the couch, his head slumped in his hands. Aaron sighed with relief and lowered his gun, realizing what was going on.

“Hey, you ok?” he said, making his way towards the couch where Jesus was sitting.

Jesus looked over and sighed, “Damn, I’m sorry. I woke you up?”

“Yeah,” Aaron said, putting his gun on end table next to the couch. “But don’t sweat it. Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Jesus fell back against the couch, his shoulders slumping heavily. “It was just a bad dream.”

“I’m gonna get you glass of water,” Aaron said and disappeared in the kitchen briefly. 

When he came back with water, Jesus was looking into emptiness in front of him, his expression absent.

“Hey,” Aaron said softly as he sat down next to him. He touched his shoulder gently and Jesus’s eyes locked with his. “You ok?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” Jesus said and accepted the glass from blond man. He took a long gulp of water and put the glass on the coffee table in front of him. Then he slumped back into the couch and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It was terrible,” he said quietly. “I was in the middle of them… of the dead. And I… I was walking with them. They didn’t know I was there. They didn’t see me. But then,” he stopped and shivered. His eyes were still fixed on the wall in front of him, expressionless. When he continued, his voice was barely a whisper. “The ones in front of me started to look back. They looked right at me. And I saw… it was them. All of those we lost. It was Nathaniel, and Ken, Oscar… Ezekiel… they were all looking at me, vacantly, like they blamed me… And then I looked to my right and there was Gabriel, right next to me, he was reaching for me, calling for help, but the dead started to tear him apart. And I couldn’t do anything… And then I saw who the dead that tore him apart were. It was Michonne, and Rick, Andrea… you. And when they finished with Gabriel, they looked at me and they started to reach towards me. And I couldn’t move… That’s when I woke up.”

Aaron moved closer to other man and said: “Look at me.” He waited for Jesus to do so and then reached to touch his shoulder gently. “It’s ok,” he said, soothingly, squeezing his shoulder for comfort.

Jesus leaned into the touch and closed his eyes momentarily, but didn’t relax. His breathing was still quick and shallow, his muscles tensed.

“It was just a dream,” Aaron said, trying to comfort the brunet.

“Not all of it,” Jesus said and shook his head slightly, looking up at Aaron. “I still see Gabriel every time I close my eyes… It was just so horrible. Seeing him hanging at that water tower.”

“I know,” Aaron said, his heart clenching when he saw the desperation in Jesus’s eyes. “Come here,” he said and hugged the other man gently. “I’m here now. It’s ok.”

Jesus relaxed almost immediately, leaning into Aaron’s touch. He held him tight, slowly adjusting his rapid breathing to Aaron’s relaxed one. They stayed like that for a while, finding comfort in each other. When Aaron felt Jesus was calm once again, he started to pull back. Jesus seemed to be reluctant to pull away, but he did so nevertheless.

“Thank you,” Jesus said, when they were once again sitting opposite each other.

Aaron smiled gently at him. “You want me to stay here for a while?” he asked.

Jesus nodded, sinking into couch, more relaxed now. After a moment of silence Jesus said with a slight chuckle: “Reading Cujo before sleep probably wasn’t the best idea, was it?”

It was then that Aaron noticed a book in the corner of the coffee table.

“Yeah, it probably wasn’t,” he smiled. “Where did you find it anyway? I was looking for it for few days now.”

“It was here, on the couch, under the throw pillow.”

“Shit. I’m sorry about that,” Aaron chuckled.

“That’s ok,” Jesus said, looking over at other man and smiling slightly. “So you’re a fan of King?”

Aaron smiled. “I’ve read few of his books, yeah. And I quite liked them. So I decided to read all of his books. But, I never actually got around that, you know, before. And then apocalypse came and I had different problems,” he leaned against the couch too, relaxing, as he continued. “I started again some time ago. I figured since we all were able to start from the beginning, I could too. Though it is much harder to get new books now than it was before, if you catch my drift,” he laughed.

“Yeah well, I could--,” Jesus started, but then he stopped short. “Never mind.”

“What is it?” Aaron asked.

“I wanted to say I have few of King’s books back at Hilltop,” Jesus said. “But then I remembered… they were probably the first to go.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Not your fault, really. Maybe I’ll find some when scavenging.”

“You really think there is something we didn’t find yet? I mean, we have scavenged quite thoroughly every area in 50 miles radius. I doubt there is still something we didn’t find.”

“Then we just need to look further.”

Aaron gave Jesus a long thoughtful look.

“What is it?” Jesus asked.

“It’s just, I’ve never figured you out,” Aaron said. “Glenn and Heath were so eager about scavenging because they needed that adrenaline rush, it was what kept them going. Me and Eric, we kinda liked it out there. It was quiet,” he said, a small smile appearing on his lips. “Don’t get me wrong. Alexandria was great even before all these changes, but you couldn’t take the suburbs away from it, no matter the end of the world. So yeah, we’ve got our fair share of well-meant but extremely homophobic comments. It was nice to be out there from time to time. Well, up until the point we realized there are no good people out there anymore.” He looked at Jesus, frowning slightly. “But you, I never really figured out what makes you go out there. Even when we began to trade with Hilltop, everyone we asked said how great and selfless you are, but you’re not around that often. No one really knew you back then… And frankly, I’m still not sure that many people know you now.”

“I guess you’re right. I do feel better out there. I’ve always had,” Jesus smiled faintly, looking down at his hands, rather than at Aaron. “Hilltop is great, but I always felt a bit boxed in there… Plus after the world ended, I guess I never thought I might settle down anymore. It’s not like _we_ have that many options and I…” he looked at Aaron and smiled a bit nervously, “I don’t want to be with someone only to have someone, you get me? That’s why I ended things with Alex too. He’s a nice guy but… I don’t think he was enough of a reason for me to stay… he deserves better.”

“So you’d stay, if there was something worth staying for?” Aaron said, his breath hitching slightly.

“I suppose,” Jesus said, furrowing his brows. “What do you mean, exactly?”

“What about this?” Aaron said and leaned in to press a gentle kiss on other man’s lips. The kiss was hesitant and soft, Aaron didn’t want to rush it. He was nervous enough already, when he realized Jesus wasn’t kissing him back. He froze momentarily, then quickly pulled back, appalled.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” he said. “I… I thought you wanted to… I’m so sorry, I--”

“No, wait,” Jesus interrupted him, taking Aaron’s hand softly in his. “ _I’m_ sorry. I want to… I really do,” he smiled gently, his eyes suddenly so much more alive. “I really like you Aaron. I just… are you sure you’re ready? Because I… if we’re going to do this, I want it to last.”

Aaron looked down at their joined hands and took a moment to really think about it. They were both fragile and they knew if they rushed into this, it would only hurt both of them in the end. But he couldn’t deny the feelings that were building up in him for some time now. And if you didn’t take chances, was it really worth living in this world?

He looked up, deeply into Jesus’s eyes. “Honestly?” he said. “I’m not entirely sure… but I’m willing to try… with you,” he smiled.

Jesus broke into beaming smile, one that Aaron didn’t see on him yet, and raised his hand to cup the other man’s cheek.

“Then I believe I have something worth staying for,” he said and leaned in to kiss Aaron softly, both men finally finding the courage to admit their feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the bet. I feel really bad for Carl right now since he lost his (another) mom so he's going to be the winner of the bet. He can drown his sorrow in some mac and cheese and all of us can join him :-( (I mean seriously, last time I cried when someone died in TWD comics was when Eric was shot... I didn't even realize how much I liked Andrea until she was gone).


End file.
